Monday, April 23, 2012

Shattered Souls Book Review

Annotation:
Lenzi
Anderson is worried that she is suffering from schizophrenia, the disease that
caused her father to commit suicide, when she begins hearing voices, begging
and pleading with her to help them. When
Lenzi meets Alden Thomas, however, she learns that she is a Speaker, someone
who communicates with the spirits of the dead and helps them cross-over.

Personal
thoughts: Although overall I would say that I enjoyed this novel, there
were definitely some parts of the story I loved and some parts I didn’t love.
To begin with, I loved the setting. It was so evident how much the author loves
her home state, and I really enjoyed learning more about Galveston in
particular. I also liked the concept of Speakers and Protectors. Even though
the idea of a “ghost whisperer” has appeared before, the mechanics behind Lenzi
and Alden’s jobs was very clever. Now for the parts, or should I say part, I
didn’t love: the fate of Lenzi’s boyfriend, Zak. Although I could tell he had
his own demons (no pun intended), I really liked the character of Zak and how
he refused to abandon Lenzi even when everyone else thought she was crazy. I
liked Alden as well, but I was really irked when Lenzi tossed Zak aside like
last week’s leftovers. It hampered my view of Lenzi, and made it hard for me to
really root for her later on in the story. That being said, however, I will
definitely still be looking forward to the second novel in this series. I think
it has a lot of potential, and would recommend it to fans of paranormal
romance. Plot
summary: Lenzi Anderson is about to celebrate her seventeenth birthday but
she is far from excited. Her father is dead, having recently committed suicide
after suffering from schizophrenia. Lenzi and her mother have just moved to
Houston, and Lenzi doesn’t fit in with the other students at her stuck-up
school. The only comfort in Lenzi’s life is her boyfriend, Zak. Zak hasn’t had
an easy life himself, and he doesn’t mind that Lenzi is struggling to cope with
everything in her life, even if it means numbing herself out on anxiety
medication. Things get even more difficult for Lenzi, however, when she begins
hearing voices. The voices beg and plead with her to help them, and Lenzi is
worried that she is going to end up like her dad. Everything changes when Lenzi
meets Alden Thomas. Like Lenzi, Alden is also seventeen and, even though they’ve
just met, seems to know everything about Lenzi, including the reason why she’s
hearing voices. Alden explains that Lenzi is a Speaker, and he, her Protector.
For centuries, the two souls have been recycled into different lifetimes,
always remembering who they are and what their purpose in life is: to help
hindered spirits of the dead cross-over. As the Speaker, Lenzi can hear the
spirits, and Alden’s role is to keep her safe and assist her in resolving the
unfinished business of the Hindered. Something is different about Alden and Lenzi
this time, however. In every previous life her name has been Rose, not Lenzi,
and she has been gone for more than a century since her last death, an
unusually long period of time. Also, Lenzi has no recollection of her previous
lives or what it means to be a Speaker. Worst of all, Zak doesn’t understand
the sudden appearance of Alden and his determination to be near Lenzi at all
times. How will Lenzi manage her new-found role, her developing feelings for
Alden and her relationship with Zak, all while learning how to help the spirits
of the dead cross-over?

Review: From debut
author and obviously enthusiastic Texan Mary Lindsey comes Shattered Souls, the first installment in a new paranormal romance
series for teens. Fans of television shows such as The Ghost Whisperer and Medium
will enjoy the premise of this series: Lenzi is a Speaker, someone who can
speak to the dead, and her job, with the help of the conveniently handsome and
intelligent Alden, is to help souls wrap-up unfinished business and guide them
into “the light.” Although there are some religious implications to this notion
(i.e. demons, malevolent spirits, exorcisms, etc.), Shattered Souls does not delve at all into the theology of what
Lenzi, Alden, and the rest of the Intercessor Council does. This can either be
a good or bad thing, depending on the viewpoint of the reader, but does mean that
parents or teachers concerned with any religious or Biblical references beyond
those mentioned above need not worry. The author’s love for Texas, particularly
the Houston and Galveston area, is evident throughout the novel and plays a
large role in the plot. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the
story is Lenzi learning more about her past lives as “Rose,” and how the
history of Texas played a part in her fate at various times. The relationship
between Lenzi and Alden is also very sweet, with her falling easily for his
puppy-dog infatuation with her. One thing that might stick out to readers,
however, is how quickly Lenzi is able to shirk her relationship with Zak once
Alden arrives on the scene. Although, in the context of the story, this turn of
events does make some sense, teens will definitely pick up on how unfair Zak’s
fate seems to be, as Lenzi abandons him for greener, more ghost-filled
pastures. Despite this one area of shortcomings, however, Shattered Souls is an interesting story that will definitely appeal
to fans of paranormal romance. The next novel, which has yet to be titled, is
set to be released in 2014.

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Welcome to my blog! I'm a librarian who loves to read...unusual, right? This blog contains my reviews and thoughts about the books I read, and other information for tweens, teens, parents, teachers, librarians and anyone else who loves books. Enjoy!